Automatic Natural Language Translation During Information Transfer

ABSTRACT

Information elements such as text, tables, graphics, and hyperlinks, are intercepted during their transfer from a computer source to a computer destination, such as during a cut-and-paste operation. It is determined if each intercepted information element is expressed in a natural language which matches a user-specified natural language intended for the destination, and if not, one or more natural language handling actions such as translation or isolation of the information elements is performed in order to match the desired destination language. Translated information elements are delivered to the destination, and isolated elements are placed in a data store for later review and/or exchange with other elements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS (CLAIMING BENEFIT UNDER 35U.S.C. 120)

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/755,832, docket number AUS920030667US1, filed on 01/12/2004, nowunder allowance, which was related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/455,159, docket number AUS920030289US1, filed on Jun. 5, 2003, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,310,781, and to U.S. Patent application Ser. No.10/692,173, docket number AUS920030664US1, filed on Oct. 23, 2003,currently pending, all of which were filed by Yen-Fu Chen, et al.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT STATEMENT

This invention was not developed in conjunction with any Federallysponsored contract.

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The related patent applications and issued patent are incorporated byreference to the present disclosure, including figures:

-   -   (a) U.S. application Ser. No. 10/755,832, docket number        AUS920030667US1, filed on Jan. 12, 2004;    -   (b) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/455,159, docket number        AUS920030289US1, filed on Jun. 5, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No.        7,310,781; and    -   (c) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/692,173, docket number        AUS920030664US1, filed on Oct. 23, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/755,832, docket number AUS920030667US1, filed on Jan. 12, 2004, nowunder allowance, which was related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/455,159, docket number AUS920030289US1, filed on Jun. 5, 2003, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,310,781, and to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/692,173, docket number AUS920030664US1, filed on Oct. 23, 2003,currently pending, all of which were filed by Yen-Fu Chen, et al. Thisinvention relates to methods for transferring information from onecomputer resource to another during which the information is translatedfrom an initial natural or native language to a selected destinationlanguage.

2. Background of the Invention

Modern multi-tasking computers provide a variety of user interfaces forcontrolling multiple application programs and system functions whichoperate simultaneously. Some of the most widely used multi-taskingcomputer systems are personal computers (“PC”) running a multi-taskingoperating system (“OS”) such as International Business Machines' (“IBM”)OS/2™ or AIX™, Microsoft Windows™, and Apple Computer's MacOS™. Otheroperating systems may be used with personal computers as well as largercomputers such as enterprise-class computers, such as UNIX, SunMicrosystems' Solaris™, Hewlett Packard's HP-UX™, and the “open sourced”LINUX. Smaller computing platforms such as held-held computers, personaldigital assistants (“PDA”), and advanced wireless telephones may runoperating systems targeted for such hardware including Palm Computing'sPalmOS™ and Microsoft's Windows CE™. Additionally, there are many“proprietary” and less widely-used computing platforms and operatingsystems which also allow users to control and run multiple programs andsystem functions simultaneously.

Many of these systems will use tabs, icons, windows, frames, pages andspecial key combinations to allow a user to switch between userinterfaces (“UI”) for each program and system function which is beingexecuted, or to start or stop the execution of a program or systemfunction. For example, in a personal computer running MS Windows™, theuser may first start a web browser program running using several methods(e.g. double clicking an icon on the desktop, selecting the program froma Start Programs list, operating a “hot key”, etc.), and then may starta document editor program using similar methods. Each programestablishes a user interface such as its own “window”. The user can thencontrol a program by selecting its window using one of several availablemethods, such as selecting a button or icon on a command bar, activatinga “task list” and selecting a program, etc. As a result, a user canstart and run many programs simultaneously, periodically switchingbetween their user interfaces to accomplish work or entertainment tasksas needed. Other computing systems provide similar basic user controlcapabilities, albeit with a variety of user controls to switch betweenprograms and system functions.

Users often wish to copy or transfer information or “content” from oneprogram or system function to another. For example, a user may bepreparing an invoice for a client using a word processor program, butmay also be simultaneously using a database or spreadsheet program toperform various calculations. Using “copy and paste” functions of theapplication programs and the operating system, the user may selectinformation from a source program (e.g. the spreadsheet), and “paste” itinto the destination program (e.g. the invoice being edited). Such aprocess is so common place in computer users' daily lives that it isrote, albeit each user may know several sequences of actions for severalcomputers which he or she commonly uses (e.g. one process on his homePC, another on his PDA, and another on his networked terminal at work).These memorized methods may typically include several steps of clickingon icons, dropping down lists, highlighting information, and usingnavigation controls within program UI's.

For example, turning to FIG. 1, a “windows” style user interface isdepicted to illustrate a process of “copying” information from a webbrowser program to a word processor file via a “clipboard” memory. Inthis system, each program provides a window (2, 3, 104) which can beclosed (9, 9′) to end the program, maximized (8, 8′) to view the full UIfor that program, or minimized (7, 7′) to leave the program running butdeactivate the UI (e.g. clear the UI window from the screen). In thisexample, these controls are located in a command bar (4, 4′) along thetop of the UI window, but many other variations are known in the art.

Each UI window also typically has navigation controls such as leftpanning (15, 15′), right panning (13, 13′), and horizontal scroll (14,14′) controls, as well as up panning (10, 10′), down panning (12, 12′),and vertical scroll (11, 11′), for viewing areas of information andcontent not completely viewable in the UI. Information, icons, text,graphics, etc., are shown or displayed within (16, 18) the UI windowaccording to the scroll and panning control settings. More recently, theterm “content” (16, 18) has been used to collectively refer to all typesof information which may be displayed or presented in a user interface,including but not limited to text, graphics, still images, animatedimages, video, audio, and hyperlinks.

Now suppose for the purpose of our example, the user has started a wordprocessing program which provides a first UI window (2), and a webbrowser which provides a second UI window (3). Also suppose that theuser is researching information on the Internet using the web browserwhile authoring a paper which is being edited simultaneously using theword processor.

In this example, the user has found information (19) at a hypotheticalweb address (17) that he wants to “quote” in his or her paper. So, theuser must first move the cursor (104) in the word processor to select aninsertion point for the information, then must switch to the web browserUI, select the text (19) in the source content, operate a “copy” commandin the web browser UI which copies (101) the content into a buffer (100)such as a “clipboard”, switch back to the word processor UI, and operatea “paste” or “insert” command, which results in the copied content (19)being inserted into the destination document at the point of insertion(103). The user can repeat this process for many different program UI's(106).

In some software and hardware configurations, the copy buffer may beprovided within a suite of application programs which are “tightlycoupled” or related. Such suites cooperate with each other in ways notpossible with software programs provided by differing suppliers. In manycases, however, the operating system provides a buffer function which isgenerally accessible by all programs, such as the clipboard in the MSWindows™ operating system.

Also, in some situations, the original content with its original formatmay not be acceptable by the destination program, and as such, aspecialized paste or insertion function (105) may be provided by thedestination program or operating system which converts the content to aform useful by the destination program. For example, text copied from aweb page may include color, size, font, style, and hyperlink referenceinformation embedded in the base Hyper Text Markup Language (“HTML”) ofthe source web page. However, not all word processors are able tointerpret all of these special codes and identifiers, so a “paste asplain text” option may be provided by a converter or translator (105)function.

So, to illustrate the complexity and tedious nature of such ordinaryoperations, we present the steps in full to accomplish this examplescenario of simply transferring a block of formatted text from a webpage to a word processor program, starting from a point where the useris editing the destination document in the word processor:

-   -   (a) navigate to the insertion point in the destination document        using the word processor UI window controls (e.g. multiple        clicks on scroll, panning or page up/page down keys);    -   (b) optionally select text or content in the destination        document which is to be replaced;    -   (c) switch to the web browser UI window (e.g. click on an icon        in a task bar, activate a task list and pick a running web        browser program, etc.);    -   (d) navigate in the web browser UI window to find the text or        content desired to be transferred into the document (e.g. use        panning, scrolling, or page up/page down keys);    -   (e) select the source content or text (e.g. click-and-drag over        the content to highlight it)    -   (f) transfer the content to a copy buffer (e.g. click on “Edit”        command, select “copy” option or type Alt-E, Alt-C);    -   (g) switch back to the word processor UI window (e.g. (e.g.        click on a icon in a task bar, activate a task list and pick a        running web browser program, etc.); and    -   (h) operate a “paste” command in the word processor UI window        (e.g. click on “Edit” command, select “paste” option or type        Alt-E, Alt-P).

Each of these operations may actually require several steps (clicking,scrolling, selecting, typing, etc.), so this minimal process mayrepresent 7 to 25 actual user actions. This process must be repeated foreach block of text or content to be transferred from multiple program UIwindows (106), and additional steps may be necessary to achieve a“special paste”, as described above. Also, if the same text or contentis to be inserted into the destination document for file at multiplelocations, the last few operations of this process (h) in addition tosome navigation actions must by performed by the user.

As a result, consolidating information from multiple sources ofinformation may be extremely tedious, frustrating, and tiresome usingthe currently available methods and apparatuses provided in suchcomputing systems. Some systems may provide notably more “user friendly”or intuitive methods, while other systems are much more difficult and“clunky” to use.

Turning to FIG. 2, this process is generalized. Starting at a point ortime (21) when the user is actively working with the destination programUI, the user must navigate (22) within the present document, file, orother computer resource to a point where the content insertion is to bemade, including selecting any content which is to be replaced. Then, theuser must switch (23) to the UI of the first source of information,navigate (24) to the first source content to be transferred, select thatcontent, and operate (25) a copy or cut control in the first source UI.

Next, the user must switch (26) back to the destination UI, and operate(27) an insert or paste command in that UI. If (28) the user wants toinsert or paste that content into multiple destinations, the user mustnavigate (29) to each destination and operate (27) the paste or insertcommand in the destination program UI, until all insertions have beenmade for that source information.

If (200) the user desires to transfer information from other points inthe same source, or from other sources, the user must repeatedly switch(201) to a source UI, navigate to a source content point, select sourceinformation, operate (25) a copy or cut operation, switch (26) back tothe destination UI, and paste or insert (27) the content, until allinformation has been transferred.

Implied, but not shown in detail, in this generalization of the processcan be multiple user actions for each general step. Optionally, optionssuch as conversion of the content may be necessary, which requiresadditional user actions (e.g. the “paste as plain text” example).

So, it is possible that in the course of authoring a paper using a wordprocessor and information from several sources, the user may have toperform hundreds of tedious actions, commands, selections, navigationoperations, etc.

In this paradigm, certain conventions have evolved into place which onlymoderately simplify or reduce the burden of such operations. Forexample, performing a “cut” operation usually deletes the selectedsource content from the source file, and places a copy of it into thetransfer buffer, sometimes overwriting the current contents of thetransfer buffer. A “copy” operation typically leaves the selectedinformation unchanged in the source and only places a copy of theinformation in the transfer buffer. Additionally, in the destination UI,a “paste” or “insert” command may copy the contents of transfer bufferto a selected point in the destination document or file, leaving a copyin the transfer buffer for additional pastes or insertions.

In some programs, a “paste special”, “import from clipboard”, or similarcommand may be available with several conversion options to perform aminimal conversion process on each transfer. However, even though theuser may be performing the same “paste special” command over and over,the typical UI does not memorize or “learn” this process, so the user isforced to respond to a number of redundant options and dialogs on eachpaste operation.

The same user interface conventions are followed by many computersystems not only for content or information within a computer resourcesuch as text and graphics within a file, but also for resources (e.g.files, shortcuts, icons, mappings, etc.) within a computing environment(e.g. file system, directories, folders, etc.). For example, whenworking with a MS Windows™ operating system and running the WindowsExplorer program, a user may select a file, directory or folder to move,execute an “Edit—Cut” command sequence, navigate to another directory ordrive, and execute an “Edit—Paste” command to move the selected resourceto the new destination. Similarly, by selecting the source resource,executing a copy command, and then executing a paste command to one ormore destinations, the original resource is not changed but copies of itare deposited at the destination points. Further, by selecting andcopying a source resource, then selecting a destination resource,replacement of the destination resource may be accomplished.

However, as source information may or may not be completely compatiblewith destination environment, the user, even when using the relatedinvention, may be required to make certain tedious and inconvenientoperations to perform the information transfer usefully.

For example, consider a situation where the source information is agraphically rich section of a web page, including text and colorphotographs. Further assume for the purposes of this example that thecolor photographs are stored in the source document as JointPhotographic Experts Group (“JPEG”) format data objects. If the userattempts to transfer this selected information (e.g. text +photograph)to a destination which does not support JPEG photographs, such as atext-only editor, a problem may arise that cannot be completely handledby the related invention -- e.g. what to do with the photograph. In someother cases, destination editor may be able to handle other formatimages, such as Graphic Interface File (“GIF”) images, but not JPEGimages.

The user may, after realizing this and with sufficient technicalexpertise, find a way to export the image and save it to a separatefile, use another tool to convert the JPEG image to a GIF image, andthen use the related invention to transfer the GIF image to thedestination document. This process, however, requires the user to havethe expertise necessary to make such an export and conversion, as wellas to have the extra tool to perform the conversion. Further, if this isa task to be repeated often, such as cutting and pasting a considerableamount of information in this manner, it becomes tedious, tiresome, anderror-prone.

Additionally, in some situations, it is desirable to translate theinitial spoken language of the source to another spoken language. Forexample, if a user is creating a Spanish-language newspaper and desiresto quote an source which is provided in English, the present day systemsrequire the user to perform all of the cut-and-paste steps as justdescribed, as well as to some how perform a language translation on theEnglish source text. The translation can be performed manually, or theuser may have to retype the English text into a translation program,select an option to translate the text to Spanish, and then retype orcut-and-paste the Spanish text into the desired destination file ordocument. To achieve a computer-assisted translation such as this, theuser may use one of many well-known programs or online services, such asAltaVista's online BabelFish™ phrase translator. However, to use theseexisting tools, the user must treat the translation program (or website) as yet another source and/or destination, and must perform manyuser operations to effect cutting and pasting from source to translator,and from translator to destination. If the user is translating severalphrases several sources, and inserting the translated text into aplurality of destination points, this process can be very cumbersome andtedious.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system and method to provideconfigurable automatic source-to-destination spoken language translationfor transferring information from one or more source environments in oneor more initial spoken language to one or more destination environmentsin a selected spoken language.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention allows computer information elements such as text,tables, graphics, and hyperlinks, to be intercepted during theirtransfer from a computer source to a computer destination, such asduring a cut-and-paste operation. It is determined if each interceptedinformation element is expressed in a natural language (e.g. spoken orwritten language such as English, Japanese, Spanish, Farsi, etc.) whichmatches a user-specified natural language intended for the destination.

For intercepted information elements which do not match theuser-specified natural language for the destination, one or more naturallanguage handling actions such as translation or isolation of theinformation elements are automatically performed in order to translatethe elements to the desired destination language. Translated informationelements and elements which were originally in the desired destinationlanguage are delivered to the destination, and isolated elements areplaced in a data store for later review and/or exchange with otherelements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description when taken in conjunction with thefigures presented herein provide a complete disclosure of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates the typical user interfaces and system actions of“cutting and pasting” information from one application program toanother.

FIG. 2 shows the typical logical process in a general manner fortransferring content from one application program or system function toanother.

FIG. 3 depicts a generalized computing platform architecture, such as apersonal computer, server computer, personal digital assistant,web-enabled wireless telephone, or other processor-based device.

FIG. 4 shows a generalized organization of software and firmwareassociated with the generalized architecture of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates the logical method of the present invention.

FIG. 6 depicts details of the logical process of translating transferredelements of information from a source NLS to a destination NLS.

FIG. 7 provides a functional diagram illustrating the translation ofinformation elements, and optionally the isolation of elements which arenot translated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is preferably realized in conjunction with eitheror both of the systems and methods described in the related patentapplications which are entitled “System and Method for Content andInformation Transfer Between Program Entities” and “System and Methodfor Automatic Information Compatibility Detection and PastingIntervention”, both of which were filed by Yen-Fu Chen, et al. Theformer application provides an improved method for cutting and pastinginformation from multiple sources into a destination file, while thelatter provides an improvement in which content is automaticallyconverted to a digital format which is compatible with the destinationfile or computer resource. It will be recognized by those skilled in theart, however, that the present invention may alternately be realizedindependently of these related inventions, or in conjunction with othertechnologies and products.

Throughout the present disclosure, we will utilize the terms “spokenlanguage” and NLS synonymously. The acronym NLS has varyingrepresentation based upon the defining source, but generally relates tospoken and written human-readable language. For example, some sourcesdefine NLS as “natural language system”, such as a voice recognitionsystem which recognizes free speech phrases. IBM and Microsoft definethe acronym NLS as “national language support”, which encompasses anarray of computing system options to adapt the system to geographicallylocal spoken languages, including such options as selection of a defaultcharacter set, keyboard layout, etc. As such, we will utilize theacronym NLS to indicate a human-spoken or human-written language (e.g.English, Spanish, Japanese, Farsi, etc.), as opposed to a binary orcomputer-related language or format (e.g. not “C”, Java, JPEG, HTML,etc.). Further, throughout our disclosure, we will refer to conversionof information from one spoken language to another spoken language as“translation”.

SUMMARY OF THE RELATED INVENTIONS

According to one aspect of the first related invention, the userinitially designates one or more insertion points or replacement areasfor receiving transferred content in a destination UI, then switches toa source UI, highlights content to be transferred, and the systemperforms the copy or paste operation without any additional user action,including any conversion as may be necessary.

Then, the user may simply navigate to another point in the same source,or switch to another source UI, select content, and it will be “pasted”automatically into the destination without the user having to switchback to the destination UI or perform any additional paste or insertcommand actions.

According to an aspect of the second related invention, users areenabled to preselect or pre-designate one or more destination contentarea(s) or points, and then to only perform the highlighting action inthe source files or documents to produce copy/paste results without anyadditional mouse clicks or touching the keyboard. Additionally, thesecond related invention automatically intercepts the transfer of theinformation to the destination, detects information digitalcompatibility during information transfer (e.g. during a “pasting frombuffer” operation”), determining if the information is compatible withthe destination document, environment, or data construct. If theinformation is not compatible, the transfer is suspended, and the useris provided an opportunity to define a new rule, process, or macroregarding how to handle the incompatible information. Options includeinvoking a converter or translator, if one is available on the presentsystem. Another option is to export the incompatible information to aseparate data construct such as a separate file, and to provide a noteor annotation in the destination file as to the removal of theinformation and its final location.

Suitable Computing Platforms

The present invention is preferably realized as computer-executable codesuch as compiled software, scripts, or portable programs, in conjunctionwith existing application programs, operating systems, and computerhardware. For purposes of completeness, we first present a generalizedview in FIGS. 3 and 4 of typical computer hardware and software which issuitable for realization of our invention. Many variations of thesecomputer platform details may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention, as will be readily recognized by those skilled in theart.

Common computing platforms such as personal computers, web servers, andweb browsers, as well as proprietary computing platforms, may be used inrealization of the present invention. These common computing platformscan include, but are not limited to, personal computers as well asportable computing platforms, such as personal digital assistants(“PDA”), web-enabled wireless telephones, and other types of personalinformation management (“PIM”) devices.

Therefore, it is useful to review a generalized architecture of acomputing platform which may span the range of implementation, from ahigh-end web or enterprise server platform, to a personal computer, to aportable PDA or web-enabled wireless phone.

Turning to FIG. 3, a generalized architecture is presented including acentral processing unit (31) (“CPU”), which is typically comprised of amicroprocessor (32) associated with random access memory (“RAM”) (34)and read-only memory (“ROM”) (35). Often, the CPU (31) is also providedwith cache memory (33) and programmable FlashROM (36). The interface(37) between the microprocessor (32) and the various types of CPU memoryis often referred to as a “local bus”, but also may be a more generic orindustry standard bus.

Many computing platforms are also provided with one or more storagedrives (39), such as a hard-disk drives (“HDD”), floppy disk drives,compact disc drives (CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, etc.), and proprietarydisk and tape drives (e.g., Iomega Zip™ and Jaz™, Addonics SuperDisk™,etc.). Additionally, some storage drives may be accessible over acomputer network.

Many computing platforms are provided with one or more communicationinterfaces (310), according to the function intended of the computingplatform. For example, a personal computer is often provided with a highspeed serial port (RS-232, RS-422, etc.), an enhanced parallel port(“EPP”), and one or more universal serial bus (“USB”) ports. Thecomputing platform may also be provided with a local area network(“LAN”) interface, such as an Ethernet card, and other high-speedinterfaces such as the High Performance Serial Bus IEEE-1394.

Computing platforms such as wireless telephones and wireless networkedPDA's may also be provided with a radio frequency (“RF”) interface withantenna, as well. In some cases, the computing platform may be providedwith an infrared data arrangement (IrDA) interface, too.

Computing platforms are often equipped with one or more internalexpansion slots (311), such as Industry Standard Architecture (“ISA”),Enhanced Industry Standard Architecture (“EISA”), Peripheral ComponentInterconnect (“PCI”), or proprietary interface slots for the addition ofother hardware, such as sound cards, memory boards, and graphicsaccelerators.

Additionally, many units, such as laptop computers and PDA's, areprovided with one or more external expansion slots (312) allowing theuser the ability to easily install and remove hardware expansiondevices, such as PCMCIA cards, SmartMedia cards, and various proprietarymodules such as removable hard drives, CD drives, and floppy drives.

Often, the storage drives (39), communication interfaces (310), internalexpansion slots (311) and external expansion slots (312) areinterconnected with the CPU (31) via a standard or industry open busarchitecture (38), such as ISA, EISA, or PCI. In many cases, the bus(38) may be of a proprietary design.

A computing platform is usually provided with one or more user inputdevices, such as a keyboard or a keypad (316), and mouse or pointerdevice (317), and/or a touch-screen display (318). In the case of apersonal computer, a full size keyboard is often provided along with amouse or pointer device, such as a track ball or TrackPoint™. In thecase of a web-enabled wireless telephone, a simple keypad may beprovided with one or more function-specific keys. In the case of a PDA,a touch-screen (318) is usually provided, often with handwritingrecognition capabilities.

Additionally, a microphone (319), such as the microphone of aweb-enabled wireless telephone or the microphone of a personal computer,is supplied with the computing platform. This microphone may be used forsimply reporting audio and voice signals, and it may also be used forentering user choices, such as voice navigation of web sites orauto-dialing telephone numbers, using voice recognition capabilities.

Many computing platforms are also equipped with a camera device (3100),such as a still digital camera or full motion video digital camera.

One or more user output devices, such as a display (313), are alsoprovided with most computing platforms. The display (313) may take manyforms, including a Cathode Ray Tube (“CRT”), a Thin Flat Transistor(“TFT”) array, or a simple set of light emitting diodes (“LED”) orliquid crystal display (“LCD”) indicators.

One or more speakers (314) and/or annunciators (315) are oftenassociated with computing platforms, too. The speakers (314) may be usedto reproduce audio and music, such as the speaker of a wirelesstelephone or the speakers of a personal computer. Annunciators (315) maytake the form of simple beep emitters or buzzers, commonly found oncertain devices such as PDAs and PIMs.

These user input and output devices may be directly interconnected (38′,38″) to the CPU (31) via a proprietary bus structure and/or interfaces,or they may be interconnected through one or more industry open busessuch as ISA, EISA, PCI, etc.

The computing platform is also provided with one or more software andfirmware (3101) programs to implement the desired functionality of thecomputing platforms.

Turning to now FIG. 4, more detail is given of a generalizedorganization of software and firmware (3101) on this range of computingplatforms. One or more operating system (“OS”) native applicationprograms (43) may be provided on the computing platform, such as wordprocessors, spreadsheets, contact management utilities, address book,calendar, email client, presentation, financial and bookkeepingprograms.

Additionally, one or more “portable” or device-independent programs (44)may be provided, which must be interpreted by an OS-nativeplatform-specific interpreter (45), such as Java™ scripts and programs.

Often, computing platforms are also provided with a form of web browseror microbrowser (46), which may also include one or more extensions tothe browser such as browser plug-ins (47).

The computing device is often provided with an operating system (40),such as Microsoft Windows™, UNIX, IBM OS/2™, LINUX, MAC OS™ or otherplatform specific operating systems. Smaller devices such as PDA's andwireless telephones may be equipped with other forms of operatingsystems such as real-time operating systems (“RTOS”) or Palm Computing'sPalmOS™.

A set of basic input and output functions (“BIOS”) and hardware devicedrivers (41) are often provided to allow the operating system (40) andprograms to interface to and control the specific hardware functionsprovided with the computing platform.

Additionally, one or more embedded firmware programs (42) are commonlyprovided with many computing platforms, which are executed by onboard or“embedded” microprocessors as part of the peripheral device, such as amicro controller or a hard drive, a communication processor, networkinterface card, or sound or graphics card.

As such, FIGS. 3 and 4 describe in a general sense the various hardwarecomponents, software and firmware programs of a wide variety ofcomputing platforms, including but not limited to personal computers,PDAs, PIMs, web-enabled telephones, and other appliances such as WebTV™units.

Logocal Processes of the Invention

We now turn our attention to disclosure of the present inventionrelative to the processes and methods preferably implemented as softwareand firmware on such a computing platform. It will be readily recognizedby those skilled in the art that the following methods and processes maybe alternatively realized as hardware functions, in part or in whole,without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

In general, the present invention provides the user the ability tofollow this process:

-   -   1. Declare destination content area for pasting or insertion in        a destination UI;    -   2. Enable highlighting or selecting content to automatic copy        selected information and store it in memory (e.g.        buffer/clipboard) for future usage, as well as to automatically        insert or paste the selected information into the pre-designated        destination area;    -   3. Switch to source UI's, and simply highlight or select the        desired content portion(s) which triggers dynamic        insertion/concatenation into the declared content field.    -   4. Receive an automatic notification that a portion of the        highlighted source information is not written in the same spoken        language as the desired spoken language of the destination; and    -   5. Define new rule or process for handling the content to be        translated such that future similar situations are handled        automatically according to the user's preferences.

Using the present invention, advantages over presently available methodsand user interfaces are:

-   -   1. User-friendly: the invention utilizes maneuvering techniques        with which users are already familiar, such as double mouse        clicks, dragging to highlight, etc.;    -   2. Convenient: the invention provides a user a new way of        selecting destination for paste operations, and offers a quicker        way of copy/paste by eliminating keyboard strokes, mouse clicks,        navigation and toggling between different program windows and        UI's.    -   3. Intuitive: Users can learn or “discover” that in this new        mode, content highlighting triggers copy/paste effortlessly,        immediately seeing the results of the highlighting action, and        proceeding to experiment with various ways of applying and        exploring this invention.    -   4. Time-Saving: Reduces time to compile information from        multiple sources by making copy-paste user interface methods        much more efficient.    -   5. Increases productivity: By reducing fatigue and tediousness        in application program user interfaces, users are allowed to        produce more accurate results with less effort in less time.

Turning to FIG. 5, a first logical process of the invention is shown ata high level. This method may be implemented as compiled code, scripts,or interpretable code (e.g. Java, applets, servlets, etc.) in full orpart within application programs, operating systems, server suites,utility programs, or proprietary code or hardware.

While (21) creating or editing a computer resource such as a computerfile or document, when a user wishes to insert or copy content from asource destination to the resource being edited, the shown method (50)may be employed. The source or sources may include points and areaswithin UI's of other programs and system functions, as well as withinthe destination resource which is being created or edited.

Initially, the user may navigate (51) to a first insertion point andoptionally highlight an insertion area to designate a first “paste”destination while in the current (destination) UI. If (52) more than oneinsertion points or areas are desired, the user may navigate to andselect (53) additional destinations while still in the destination UI.Insertion points can be marked in a variety of ways, including placementof a graphical icon such as a caret (“̂”) at the insertion point(s) orother suitable icon. Replacement destination areas can be marked in avariety of ways, including highlighting the selected text, graphics,information, or content in a special pattern, color, or both, or bymaking special changes to the selected information itself (e.g. changingthe text to a different color, underlining the text, etc.). Preferably,a user interface or dialog box is also provided to allow the user tomanage destination insertion points and replacement areas, such as tocreate additional points and areas, and to remove points and areas.

When all destination points and areas have been designated, the userenables (54) the automatic content transfer function of the inventionthrough an appropriate user control such as right-clicking with themouse to bring up a dialog box, selecting an option from a drop-downlist, or operating a special icon, key or key sequence. According to thepresent invention, the user is allowed to select advanced options, suchas rules for concatenation or content conversion, or whether cutting(e.g. source deletion) is performed as well as copying on eachsubsequent selection operation, as well as designating a spoken languagefor the destination(s). For example, the user may specify that thedestinations which were previously designated (52) are to receiveSpanish content only.

Next, the user switches (55) to the first source UI from whichinformation is to be transferred, navigates to the first source point,and highlights or selects (56) source content.

NLS handling is performed (501), described in more detail in thefollowing paragraphs, and the information which is expressed in theuser-selected natural language is then automatically copied into thetransfer buffer, and subsequently pasted (58) into the designateddestination point(s) and area(s), without need to switch back to thedestination UI.

If (57) more source content is to be transferred, the user may continueto navigate to additional points and to select (56) additional contentfor automatic pasting into the destination resource from within thecurrent UI, or the user may switch (500, 501) to another UI and proceedwith selecting (56) for automatic pasting (58) into the destinationresource.

If the concatenation option is selected, upon selection of a contentblock or area, it is appended to the existing contents of the transferbuffer, and the user is given the option to perform the automaticpasting into the destination point(s) and area(s), without need toswitch back to the destination UI.

If the source cutting operation is selected, upon selection of a contentblock or area, it is deleted from the source resource (assuming the userhas the rights to modify the resource), placed in the transfer buffer,and pasted, concatenated or converted as determined by the otheroptions.

When (57) all source information has been copied, the informationtransfer operation is complete (59), and the user returns to the initial(e.g. destination) UI to continue editing or creating (21′) the computerresource.

As an example and comparison now between the user control methodtypically employed and the user control method provided by the presentinvention, we present the following case. On a MS Windows™ operatingsystem, a user who has several windows opened intends to compose anemail in Spanish using a web based mail program. Further, the user plansto generate the content of this email from his or her other open windowsby using the copy/paste functions, specifically from Microsoft Word™word processor and from Lotus Notes™ application programs.

For this example, suppose that the email message is to be created froman English paragraph in MS Word, and from a French paragraph in LotusNotes. Also, presume that the online phrase translator BabelFish byAltaVista is to be used to provide the English to Spanish and the Frenchto Spanish translations. So, traditionally what the user would berequired to do in order to accomplish this task in the shortest timeframe is the following:

-   -   1. open the email composer window;    -   2. switch to the window for MS Word using Alt-Tab;    -   3. highlight the desired English text in the MS Word document;    -   4. hit Ctrl-C to copy the selected text into the clipboard;    -   5. hit Alt-Tab until toggle to the BabelFish translator program        window;    -   6. click on the text area or entry point wherein the source        language paragraph is to be entered;    -   7. select English-to-Spanish as translator function;    -   8. highlight the produced Spanish translation in the translator        UI;    -   9. hit Ctrl-C to copy the selected Spanish text into the        clipboard;    -   10. hit Alt-Tab until toggle to the email composer window;    -   11. click on the text area or point where the translated        paragraph is to be placed;    -   12. hit Ctrl-V or select Edit-Paste to insert the Spanish text        copied from MS Word and translated by the BabelFish web service;    -   13. switch to the Lotus Notes window using Alt-Tab;    -   14. highlight or select the desired French text in Notes;    -   15. hit Ctrl-C to copy the text to the clipboard;    -   16. hit Alt-Tab until toggle to the BabelFish translator program        window;    -   17. click on the text area or entry point wherein the source        language paragraph is to be entered;    -   18. select French-to-Spanish as translator function;    -   19. highlight the produced Spanish translation in the translator        UI;    -   20. hit Ctrl-C to copy the selected Spanish text into the        clipboard;    -   21. hit Alt-Tab to switch back to the email composer window;    -   22. place the cursor on the end of the first inserted paragraph;        and    -   23. hit Ctrl-V or select Edit-Paste with the mouse or keyboard        to append the Spanish text from the Notes window (and translated        by BabelFish) to the initially inserted Spanish content.

As this illustration shows, just combining two pieces of informationfrom two sources into one destination and performing translations on theinformation can take 23 user steps or more using the existing processes.

Using our invention, however, this process is shortened significantly toachieve identical result without ever having to touch the keyboard:

-   -   1. open the email composer window, place cursor at desired        insertion point;    -   2. enable auto-pasting and designate an insertion point or        replacement area (e.g. by right clicking in the email text area        or by double clicking on the left mouse button while in the        email message text area), selecting an auto-paste option (assume        no concatenation, no conversion and cutting options are        selected) and select Spanish as the desired destination spoken        language;    -   3. switch to the MS Word window using Alt-Tab;    -   4. highlight the first block of desired English text causing the        selected text to be automatically translated to Spanish and        inserted in the email composer window at the designated        destination point;    -   5. switch to the Lotus Notes window using Alt-Tab;    -   6. highlight the block desired French text causing the selected        text to be automatically translated to Spanish and inserted in        the email composer window following the first block; and    -   7. switch back to the email composer window using Alt-Tab.

There are alternative implementations available to declare destinationcontext area. For example, consider the situation where the emailmessage is created from many windows or many sections of a few windows,the number of toggles between program windows andhighlighting/Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V operations could cause intense frustrationand stress on the user. In systems running operating system which arenot completely stable, such window or frame switching may also increasethe possibility of an OS lock up or crash.

Similar to the email example, this invention can be used by helpdeskagents filling out problem descriptions from known issues or solutions,users completing a form based on known information (creating resume,registration, etc.), and even programmer and software testers attemptingto write new code or test cases by using a template or reusing availablecode.

There are plentiful situations where an efficient way of copying contentand inserting it into one or more desired locations can significantlyimprove productivity, save time, reduce overall operational cost, andradically increase user satisfaction.

In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, each selection ofsource content may be followed by addition of a specified delimiterbetween the next selection of source content. For example, in the emailcomposition scenario previously discussed, a delimiter such as a space,carriage return, HTML horizontal line, or text note may be automaticallyadded between the MS Word paragraph and the Lotus Notes paragraph. In afirst advanced implementation of this option, a descriptive annotationmay be appended before or after the content, such as:

<copied from MS Word: c:\my_files\document.doc, translated from Englishto Spanish>

and:

<copied from Lotus Notes: e:\network_backups\advice.lwp, translated fromFrench to Spanish>

These notations can include web site addresses, as well, and optionallytime and date information:

<copied from www.help.ibm.com\laptops\upgrades on 3-15-2003>

Alternate embodiments of this notation include, but are not limited to,annotations made in eXtensible Markup Language (“XML”), and possiblyincluding a time stamp such as a local clock and calendar value, or aCoordinated Universal Time (“UTC”) value.

According to another alternative aspect of the present invention, thedestination areas and points may be saved in association with a computerresource (e.g. a specific file), or as a named template. These insertionpoints and areas can then be recalled so that new information frommultiple sources can be quickly and routinely compiled. This function isparticularly useful for creating news letters, status reports, and thelike.

As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, the use of text asthe content copied from a source to a destination in the foregoingexamples is not meant to imply that the present invention is limited tosuch content types. In fact, it may be used to transfer content of anyformat which is compatible with the transfer buffer implementation. Forexample, video clips, graphics, hyperlinks, audio clips, and the likemay be handled by the invention provided that the transfer buffer isimplemented in a manner compatible with storing such information.According to one optional implementation detail, the user may define aNLS handling rule which isolates certain types of content for laterreview, such as a isolating pictures for later review to see if theyshould be exchanged for alternate pictures more suitable for thedestination language and culture.

Another desirable but not critical aspect of the invention is to providean “undo” function, with or without an action log. By keeping track ofthe source to destination transfers, and especially the source deletionswhen “cutting” is selected, the user may reverse any operationpreviously made. The tracking record of actions taken can preferably beproduced in a human readable form, which is useful in version tracking,revision control, and similar activities.

NLS Handling

Turning to FIG. 6, details of NLS handling (501) according to thepresent invention are shown. A set of NLS handling rules (61), ifalready defined, are consulted initially to determine (60) if all theelements of the selected source content are in the same spoken languageas the user-select spoken language of the destination(s). Alternatively,the spoken language of the destination may be automatically determinedby examining the words and phrases which may already exist in thedestination, and comparing them to a dictionary to match them to aspoken language. This same method may be employed to automaticallydetermine the spoken language of each source information elementselected for transfer.

For example, Table 1 shows a basic set of NLS handling rules which canbe implemented in a text file for a particular hypothetical destinationdocument editor called “JotPro”. Additionally, assume a hypotheticaltranslator program or service called “QuickXlate” is available to becalled or invoked on supplied text strings to perform a spoken languagetranslation.

TABLE 1 Example “JotPro” NLS Handling Rules <NLS_handling_rules><destination> Jotpro </destination> <destination_versions> all</destination_versions> <text_translation_rules> <translate_rule><source_lang> English </source_lang> <destination_lang> Spanish</destination_lang> <translator> QuickXlate </translator></translate_rule> <translate_rule> <source_lang> French </source_lang><destination_lang> Spanish </destination_lang> <translator> QuickXlate</translator> </translate_rule> <text_translation_rules><isolation_rules> <isolate_types> pcx, gif, tif, tiff, jpg, jpeg</isolate_types> </isolation_rules> </NLS_handling_rules>

Table 1 is expressed in a markup-style language, such as eXtensibleMarkup Language (“XML”). Other formats and language are available toimplement such as set of compatibility rules, including but not limitedto plain text, macro languages, tables, databases, etc. It defines thatsource in English or French which needs to be translated into Spanish isto be handled by the “QuickXlate” program or service, and that graphicselements of the types Microsoft Paintbrush (PCX), Graphic Interchangeformat (GIF), Tagged Information Format (TIF, TIFF), and JointPhotographic Experts Group (JPG, JPEG) format are to be isolated forlater review by the user.

So, each element (e.g. paragraph or sentence of text, graphic image,video clip, audio clip, animation, etc.) is checked (60) against the setof NLS handling rules (61), and if an element needs to be translated, itis marked for translation. If (62) all elements are already in thedesired destination spoken language, then transfer of the unmodifiedsource content (all elements) is allowed (63).

For each element to be translated (or isolated), the translationfunction is performed according to the appropriate handling rule, suchas invoking a translator program, DLL, web service, etc., using anapplication programming interface (API) call, or other suitable means toinvoke an existing translator process or program. There are a number ofavailable protocols for invoking remote services such as a Common ObjectRequest Broker Architecture (“CORBA”), Simple Object Access Protocol(“SOAP”), and many ways to transmit the data representing the phrase tobe translated and the translated phrase such as eXtensible MarkupLanguage (“XML”) over hyper text transfer protocol (“HTTP”). LinguaTranslator Service via SOAP and XML is one such online translatorservice. Another such service is provided by PROMT Ltd. of St.Petersburg, Russia.

If (66) no applicable rule for an element is found in the NLS handlingrules (61), then a user interface is preferably invoked to allow theuser to define a new rule or action for handling the elements of thattype. When NLS handling rules for all incompatible elements have beenfound or defined, the translations performed (68).

Isolation is a special type of NLS handling which allows certain typesof elements to be “separated” from the source content and stored in aseparate data construct, such as a file on the system hard drive, or afile in system memory. In the context of NLS handling, some elementtypes such as pictures, clip art, audio, music, etc., may need to beexchanged for more appropriate types according to the destination spokenlanguage or culture. For example, a source image of the Eifel Tower inParis may need to be exchanged for an image of Madrid if creating adocument intended for viewing in Spain.

Turning to FIG. 7, the isolation process is shown as well as the processof invoking one or more translators according to the present invention.In this example, the English text “Welcome to Our Web Site!” as well asa graphic image (shown as the circle, triangle, rectangle combination)have been selected (19) for transfer (18) from a first UI. In thisexample, the NLS Handler (501) has been configured to intercept theinsertion of the English phrase, and to translate it to Spanish usingone or more translator services (700) before inserting it into adesignated point (103) in a destination UI. Additionally, in thisexample, the selected image is isolated to an isolated content store(69) for later review and possible exchange with a more appropriateimage. Selected and copied elements from other program UI's (106) alsomay be automatically translated or isolated similarly.

CONCLUSION

As such, the present invention may be realized in a variety of forms,programming languages, methodologies, and operating systems on a varietyof computing platforms without departure from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. A number of example embodiment details have beendisclosed as well as optional aspects of the present invention in orderto illustrate the invention, but which do not define the scope of theinvention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should bedetermined by the following claims.

1. A computer-implemented method for transferring content from onecomputer resource to another computer resource, comprising: interceptinga user-selected information element during transfer from a sourcecomputer resource to a destination computer resource; determining anatural language in which said intercepted information element isexpressed; responsive to said expressed natural language not matching auser-specified preferred natural language: searching for a handling rulecorresponding to said expressed natural language; responsive to findingno corresponding handling rule: invoking a rule management userinterface; and allowing a user to define a handling rule correspondingto said expressed natural language; and performing a natural languagehandling action on said intercepted information element to translatesaid intercepted information element into said preferred naturallanguage; and transferring said translated information element to saiddestination computer resource.
 2. The method as set forth in claim 1wherein said handling actions comprise isolating certain informationelements according to said handling rules, thereby blocking theirtransfer to said destination.
 3. A computer memory comprising: acomputer memory or computer disk suitable for encoding softwareprograms; and one or more computer programs encoded by said computermemory and configured to: intercept a user-selected information elementduring transfer from a source computer resource to a destinationcomputer resource; determine a natural language in which saidintercepted information element is expressed; responsive to saidexpressed natural language not matching a user-specified preferrednatural language: search for a handling rule corresponding to saidexpressed natural language; responsive to finding no correspondinghandling rule: invoke a rule management user interface; and allow a userto define a handling rule corresponding to said expressed naturallanguage; and perform a natural language handling action on saidintercepted information element to translate said interceptedinformation element into said preferred natural language; and transfersaid translated information element to said destination computerresource.
 4. The computer memory as set forth in claim 3 wherein saidhandling actions comprise isolating certain information elementsaccording to said handling rules, thereby blocking their transfer tosaid destination.
 5. A system for transferring content from one computerresource to another computer resource, comprising: a first userinterface portion of a computer configured to intercept a user-selectedinformation element during transfer from a source computer resource to adestination computer resource; and a processor configured to determine anatural language in which said intercepted information element isexpressed; responsive to said expressed natural language not matching auser-specified preferred natural language, search for a handling rulecorresponding to said expressed natural language, and responsive tofinding no corresponding handling rule, invoke a rule management userinterface, to allow a user to define a handling rule corresponding tosaid expressed natural language; perform a natural language handlingaction on said intercepted information element to translate saidintercepted information element into said preferred natural language;and transferring said translated information element to said destinationcomputer resource.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 5 wherein saidhandling actions comprise isolating certain information elementsaccording to said handling rules, thereby blocking their transfer tosaid destination.